It's a bit worrisome to me, how the shrub campaign has the feel of just

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

"going through the motions", "mailing it in."

I'm talking about continuing to speak only the handpicked faithful (although that has actually been the pattern for the whole shrub presidency) without any meaningful outreach to independent or swing voters, and the incredible lameness and stupidity of some of the things he's allowed to say on the stump.

I still can't believe he actually REPEATED the line about how there's no point in taxing the rich because those devious bastards have accountants and will avoid paying the taxes anyway.

Anyway, to me, it raises the worry that they already know the (BBV) fix is in, and they are just "pretending" to run a real campaign.

My hope is, if they have "theft" plans, that if JK can show large enough margins consistently going into the polls that that will deter them from daring such a scheme, for fear of the firestorm that could result in the country should they do so.

[Old and In the Way]

1. If they win, they lose.

So what's Bush's upside to winning? 4 more years of the same program (tax-cuts)? More ME wars? I think he is Nixonized if he's re-selected. He's accomplished the mission...what's really in it for him to stick around another term? It will fall apart and the RNC will be destroyed. Maybe it's better to leave Kerry holding the bag?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

3. I feel very strongly that the only item on their agenda that shrubya

has any REAL commitment to is the tax cuts for the rich thing. The rest of it (gay marriage, Iraq War, everything) is just designed to get enough political advantage to get elected to get those tax cuts.

And now they did it.

I always worry that I might be wrong about this, and that shrub might be a true believer on these other issues too and not just Wolfowitz etc.

[MichiganVote]

2. The few, the witless and the chosen

This fight isn't over yet and it won't be even after the election with or without John Kerry in office. There are a solid 40-45% of the polulace who would choose George Bush even if he had the equivalent of a Monica Lewinsky. That leaves the rest. A big group UNLESS people don't vote. If people do not vote or do not vote for a regime change the corp's will continue to believe their own lies. The chief lie being that we don't care anymore.

[AndyTiedye]

4. He Expects the Fundies & the Haters to Keep it Close Enough to Steal

and Nader to siphon off a few percent in critical swing states again
and DIEBOLD to steal millions of votes for him
and ALL OF THE MEDIA TO REMAIN IN HIS POCKET,
including the largest and best-known polling organization.
Why should he sweat it?